Bars: New in October and decorated with an antler chandelier, Aspen Social Club is the lobby-level lounge of Vikram Chatwal’s latest property, Stay. Other Midtown watering holes suitable for client entertaining include John MacDonald’s Bar 44 and the Mansfield hotel’s M Bar. Bar 44 is modern but comfortable, with a view to the restaurant through a two-way fireplace, while M Bar has shelves of books covering the walls.
Restaurants: Critics are enthusiastic about the remade L’Impero, now called Convivio, and its chef, Michael White. Not too much has changed structurally—there’s still a 40-seat private dining room on the mezzanine—but the restaurant now has a longer, and slightly cheaper, Southern Italian menu. For something French, there’s Brasserie Cognac de Monsieur Ballon and Alain Ducasse’s Benoit. Over by MoMA, the setting at Atria, the new incarnation of Grayz, showcases a soaring atrium and modern art pieces.
Private Room: The latest of the Plaza hotel’s famed spaces to be revived is the Oak Room. In addition to a roomy bar and a sizable dining area, private groups can take over two sections of this famous venue near Central Park, including an 18-seater adjacent to the main room and an eight-seat chef’s table inside the glass-walled kitchen.
